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Experts Say Insanity Plea Faces Long Odds as Nick Reiner Awaits Arraignment in Parents' Killings

Legal experts say California's standard makes an insanity plea a long shot.

Overview

  • Prosecutors have charged Reiner, 32, with two counts of first-degree murder, alleging use of a knife and a special-circumstance multiple murder.
  • He is being held without bail at Twin Towers Correctional Facility, and a police source told People he is on suicide watch in solitary confinement.
  • The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner found both victims died from multiple sharp-force injuries, and the district attorney confirmed a knife was used.
  • Media reports describe a graphic crime scene with “blood everywhere,” attributed to unnamed first responders cited by Radar and The Mirror.
  • Legal analysts told People that insanity defenses rarely succeed in California, though mental-health evidence could factor into arguments over premeditation or punishment, with arraignment continued to Jan. 7.